Portal 2 I am now Chell (Sort of)
by PokemonTrainerZoeyK
Summary: Self-insert as Chell (sort of). Not Really meant to be taken entirely seriously. It's just one of those 'what if I was in [insert character name here]'s shoes' kind of fics. (I know that the whole died and reborn thing is cliche, but I don't have any other way to start it). Also, there might be some Mary Sue moments. Edit: I update very sporadically (life has been busy).
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Portal & Portal 2 related.

 **Chapter 1: I was dead, Now I am Chell?!**

Don't ask me why because I don't even know myself. All I know is that I died. I wasn't anyone special. Just an unfortunate victim of a car crash. Long story short: I died a quick death... and then I just had to get myself reincarnated. But of course it wasn't a normal reincarnation. I guess you could say that I was reborn as a ghost. That doesn't really make sense does it? When I first woke up, it felt like I was seeing things from someone else's eyes. I couldn't move or speak. Or rather, when I did, I wasn't expecting a reply.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I thought.

"Who are you?" Came a thought in response. I was shocked that someone actually answered.

"I don't know." I answered. My answer was vague, but not entirely untrue. I didn't know who or what I was now that I had died and been reborn (?).

"I'm... Chell. Why are you in my mind." The calm Voice responded. If I could make an expression, I would have had shock written all over my face.

"Chell, huh. I don't suppose we're in Aperture by any chance?" I asked jokingly.

"Yes." Chell responded.

"Wait! Seriously?! Augh. That is just my luck. I get reborn as a sort of conscience of a- actually, nevermind." I said cutting myself off from saying anything offensive. I felt her confusion.

"So. I've just woken up and all, but where are we in terms of chambers? Oh, but I guess I should introduce myself. It wouldn't do for her to be strangers. Call me Angie." I thought to her.

"Nice to meet you, Angie. I'm in Chamber 19." She thought back.

"Wait! You do know that the cake is a lie, right? The Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System will try and kill you. By incinerator. Just trust me on this one. After all, I am you (sort of), and if you can't trust yourself, then who can you trust?" I explained quickly.

"How do you know all this? She asked. I felt her suspicion.

"Let's just say that I've seen it all before. While I was still a 'ghost' to this facility." I thought darkly.

"Alright. If you are right, I'll trust you (don't break my trust)" She thought to me.

"Understood." I replied.

* * *

Time Skip: post GLaDOS fight.

We were being dragged back into the facility by something.

"Don't worry, we'll have another shot at escape soon enough." I tried to reassure Chell. She sighed but didn't say anything.

* * *

Time Skip: 55 days later

I woke up alone. Curious, I tried to call out to Chell.

"Chell? How are you doing? Are you hanging in there? Please answer me." I thought. Only silence greeted me. Oh, dear. I really hoped that she was just sleeping in or something. I gave a mental tug at the "controls" to her body. Her fingers twitched. I began to slowly try and move the body more and found myself able to move physically for the first time in ages.

Curious, I check my pockets and the nightstand next to the bed for anything that might be of use to me. I found a pen and paper in the top drawer. I quickly stuff the small pad and pen into one of my pockets. It might come in handy later.

 ** _Announcer: Good Morning. You have been in suspension for -50- days. In compliance with state and federal regulations, all testing candidates in aperture...-_**

I started to tune out the voice as I looked around at my surroundings more carefully.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me. This is... Aperture. I'm in Aperture Science Laboratories. This has got to be some sick joke by the Gods." I hissed. I was so wrapped up in my musings as I tried to remember everything that happens in Portal 2 that I barely registered that the Announcer had just told me to look up. I caught the tail end of the recorded bit and looked up obediently still trying to figure out what I could change.

 _ **"Good. You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look down at the floor."**_ ***Bzzt*** I looked down at the floor. I continued to follow the instructions and stared at the art. I snickered quietly as I did so. I always found that part of the "exercise" to be hilarious. The narrator's voice told me to go back to sleep. I have to admit that I was quite curious as to how Chell in the game always seemed to fall asleep so quickly. I laid down on the bed and pulled the covers up.

"Good night, Aperture. See you in another 12 years." I muttered as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _ **"Good morning. You have been in suspension for nine nine nine... nine nine ni-This courtesy call is to inform you that all test subjects should evacuate immediately..."**_ the audio cut out. I sat up and rubbed my eyes blearily.

"Hello? Anyone in there? Helloo?" Came the sound of a very familiar British sounding voice. I slowly got out of bed and strapped on my Aperture Science Long Fall Boots carefully walking around and jumping up and down to make sure that they were on securely. Finishing my own self-assessment, I walked towards the door. I opened the door and a round spherical robot with a bright blue optic screamed at me.

"Ah! Oh. My. God. You look terrib- umm... good. Looking good, actually." He quickly corrected. I quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"Are you okay? Are you- Don't answer that. I'm absolutely sure you are fine. Plenty of time for you to recover. Just take it slow." He continued. I walked over to my bed and stood next to it waiting for the announcer voice.

"Please prepare for emergency evacuation." The Announcer called right on cue.

"Stay calm! 'Prepare'- That's all they're saying. 'Prepare.' It's alright. Don't move. I'm gonna get us out of here. Oh. You might want to hang onto something. Word of advice, up to you." Wheatley said as he rolled towards the center of the room. The ceiling lamp moved aside as the panels slid open. I just sat down in the middle of the bed and clung to the mattress. The sound of an engine starting up and the room shook. I just continued to hug the mattress.

"You alright down there? Can you hear me? Hello?" Wheatley's voice yelled from up in the ceiling. The rumbling stopped and the panels in the ceiling opened up again. Wheatley lowered down back into my view.

"Most subjects do experience some cognitive deterioration after a few months in suspension. Now, you've been under for _quite_ a lot longer, and it's not out of the question that you _might_ have a very minor case of serious brain damage." He said nodding slightly. I simply tilted my head.

"But don't be alarmed, alright? Although, if you do feel alarm, try to hold onto that feeling because that is the proper reaction to being told that you have brain damage. Do you understand what I'm saying? At all? Does any of this make any sense? Just tell me 'yes'." He asks as he stares at me. I am still internally debating with myself about whether I should act exactly like Chell and play mute or just answer and move on with things. I decide to meet him halfway and nod sharply.

"Um. So, can you speak?" He asks. I glance to the side and consider my options. I nod, but hold up a finger in a 'wait a sec' gesture. I reach into my pocket that I stored the pen and paper. Flipping the page of the pad, I scribbled down a note and showed it to him.

"Yes. I can speak, I think. I've just preferred not to." \- Chell.

"Oh, so your name is 'Chell'? Okay, then. It is great to meet you Chell. My name is Wheatley. It is good to know that you are not brain damaged, hopefully. But it would be easier if you would speak." Wheatley says after reading the note. I give a light sigh and decide 'to hell with it'.

"A-apple." I try to say. It comes out as a whisper. I try to speak louder, but it comes out a bit scratchy sounding. Huh. Maybe not speaking for several years might not have left me completely untouched. I guess I would have to try and get used to speaking again. I scribbled another note on the paper and show it to him just seconds before the alarm started going off.

"Been a while since I last spoke. Easier if I don't. Too, quiet. Difficult. Understand?" \- Chell.

"Ah, I see. Alright then, let's get you out of here. Just hold tight." He says nodding. The panels in the ceiling open up again and Wheatley disappears behind them as they close.

 _ **"All reactor core safeguards are now non-functional. Please prepare for reactor core meltdown."**_ The announcer's voice says. I quickly return to my spot on the bed and hold on for dear life. The walls are breaking and I am terrified of Wheatley's 'driving skills'.

"Alright, I wasn't going to mention this to you, but I am in _pretty hot water_ here. How're you doing down there? You still holding on?" He shouts over the loud noise. I don't bother trying to respond. He continues speaking.

"The reserve power ran out, so of course the whole relaxation center stops waking up the bloody test subjects- Hold on, this is a bit tricky- And of course nobody tells _me_ about anything. Nooo. Why should they tell me anything? Why should I be kept informed about the life functions of the ten thousand bloody test subjects I'm supposed to be in charge of?" He rants. I just sigh. Not my fault that- oh, wait. I guess it kind of was my fault since 'I' murdered Her. Oops. I wonder if I should mention that to him. I recall that when he went all crazy in the game, it was something that he mentioned as one of the things Chell never told him. I resolved that if I make it out of this part alive, I would tell him. I heard him ask if I could see if we had enough room. Definitely not. I can't inform him of this since I would not be heard over the din. I choose to just hug the bed really tightly and curl myself into as small of a target as possible praying that the falling debris won't hit/kill me. I cling tighter as the room bangs into an obstacle probably knocking off another section of the room.

"And whose fault do you think it's going to be when the management comes down here and finds ten thousand flipping vegetables?- ***CLANG*** Aggh, see, now I hit that one..." He continues.

 _"You hit the last one, too, you dork,"_ I hiss through my teeth, not that he heard me at all.

"Okay, listen. We should get our stories straight, alright? If anyone asks - and no one's going to ask, don't worry - but if anyone asks, tell them that as far as you know: everyone looked pretty much alive, as far as you know..." He continued to yell over the noise.

 _"I'll tell 'em whatever you want if you can get me out of here in one piece!"_ I said in my mind.

"Okay, almost there. On the other side of this wall is one of the old testing tracks. There's a piece of equipment down there that we're gonna need to get out of here." He calls out. I sort of tune out the rest of what he says. I hear the words 'docking station' and I peak down over the edge of the bed. The unit is swaying slightly and I catch a glimpse of where the docking station actually is - below. I pretty much understand what I need to do once Wheatley eventually *cough* violently *cough* parks the unit _in_ the wall.

 ***Slam***

"Good news, that is _not_ a docking station. So that's one mystery solved. I'm going to attempt a manual override on this wall. Could get a bit technical. Hold on!" He shouts down. I haven't left my position on the bed. I am holding on.

 ***Slam***

"Almost there! Remember: you're looking for a device that makes holes! Not bullet holes, but- well you'll figure it out. Really do hold on this time!" He yells. He backs us up one last time and I brace myself against the bed. I think it was anchored to the floor. Probably just so no test subjects could rearrange the furniture.

 ***Slam* *Crash***

"Whew. There we go. Now I'll be honest, you are probably in no fit state to run this particular type of cognitive gauntlet... Just do your best, and I'll meet you up ahead." He calls down. I slowly remove myself from the bed and carefully make my way out of the room. I take a deep breath and jump through the glass into Chamber 0.

 **To be continued...**

 **Next Chapter: Chapter 2 Begin Testing**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Portal or any of it's characters.

 **Chapter 2: Begin Testing**

 **Announcer: Hello, and again, welcome to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. We are currently experiencing technical difficulties due to circumstances of potentially apocalyptic significance beyond our control...**

As the recording continues, I look around and recognize the familiar surrounding as the starting room of Portal 1. I pick up objects and check the radio. Broken. I wait for the announcer to finish speaking and for the portal to open.

Announcer: The portal will open and emergency testing will begin in 3, 2, 1.

I stepped through the portal presenting myself with confidance that I didn't really have. I really didn't want to linger though, so I just wen through as quickly as I could. Now that I was on the other side, I could get a better look at myself. Chell was taller than me and I knew that. I was less than 5 ft tall in my previous life and I was a bit worried that being several inches taller might throw off my sense of coordination, but I guess Chell's muscle memory was good enough to compensate. I jumped up and down a bit testing the boots again before making my way through the first set of doors. Time to begin testing. Yay. (Sarcasm)

 **Announcer: Cube -and button- based testing remains an important tool for science, even in a dire emergency.**

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, it's not that hard. I try lifting the cube. It has some weight to it, but it's not too heavy. Still, I will be so happy to have the gravity field that the Portal gun has. The cube is rather unwieldy to carry and move around with. Placing the cube on the button, the door opens up but gets stuck on something. The announcer then makes some ridiculous comment about the testing. I proceed to through the doors and head for the elevator. I note the difference between the look of them comparing them to the elevators from back in Portal 1. I kind of like the glass look better than the old shiny metal doors of old. Exiting the elevator, the automated announcements continue, but I ignore them for the most part. I played a little bit of Portal 1 and Portal 2 as well as watched several play-throughs by YouTubers. The first few chambers were going to be easy. I breezed through the next chamber. Just more buttons and a few portals. Easy-peasy.

* * *

 **Chamber 2**

As I walked towards the entrance of the second chamber, Wheatley's voice called out to me.

"Hey hey! You made it! There should be a portal device on that podium over there." He said. Glancing around, I couldn't see him, but there was a lot of overgrowth. I prepared my self for the fall that was to come as I made my way towards the empty, sparking stand. ***Crash*** I fell. I made sure to bend my legs so that the heels were the first thing to land. The landing was a bit wobbly, but I was OK. I muttered a few choice words under my breath as I walked towards lighter area.

"Hello! Can you see the Portal Gun? Also, are you alive? That's important, should have asked you that first..." Wheatley's voice sounded distant. I sighed and waded my way through the water over to where the portal gun was. I could still hear him talking, saying something about meeting me up ahead- if I am still alive- and if I was dead, he would wait an hour before trying to find me (my corpse) and bury me. Charming personality- that core. I climbed up the stairs made my way to the next chamber.

 **Announcer: Some emergency testing may require prolonged interaction with lethal military androids. Rest assured that all military androids have been taught to read and provided with one copy of the Laws of Robotics. To Share.**

 _Somebody should have provided GLaDOS with one when they first booted her up. Not that she would actually follow it. Probably not, anyway. Although, I guess she_ was _just trying to defend her existence and I suppose were I in her place, I would not enjoy being activated and deactivated over and over again. Hmm. But still, She tried to kill me for no damn reason other than the fact that I was an "expendable resource"._ I mused. I placed my blue portal on the wall next to me and entered it appearing on the other side of the room out of the orange portal. I then shot a new portal over near the exit and entered through the orange portal reappearing through the new blue portal near the exit. On my way down to the elevator, another useless announcement about the androids played.

"Honestly, I don't even know why they bother with those things. I mean, I guess if the facility were still fully operational and under Her control, I don't think that some of these would even be playing. Her respecting human rights, ha!" I said aloud as I stepped out of the elevator. I breezed through the next chamber with ease. I chose to jump down the platforms to get a better feel for the boots. After finishing Chamber 5, one of the more interesting yet useless facts about the facility played.

 **Announcer: ... All Aperture Science personality constructs will remain functioning in apocalyptic, low power environments of as few as 1.1 volts.**

 **Announcer: This next test applies the principles of momentum to movement through portals. If the laws of physics no longer apply in the future, God help you.**

I snickered at the last one for a moment before realizing. Crap. _Momentum_. Falling. Flying. Oh, God. I think I might be in this one for a while. I am just a teensy bit nervous about heights. Doing it in person is different than doing it with a game pad. Just jump. I jumped careful to keep my mouth shut. It wouldn't do to bite my tongue while flying. The good news is that the physics in the game are pretty accurate as far as I could feel.

* * *

A few Chambers Later: **Chamber 7**

"Thank God that's over with. I do not look forward to aerial faith plates." I grumbled. This is where I should meet up with Wheatley.

"Hey! Oi oi! Over here!" Wheatley called. Right on cue.

"Oh, brilliant! You _did_ find a portal gun! Pop a portal on that wall behind me there, and I'll meet you on the other side of the room." He continued. Huh, no comments about brain damage... Oh, wait. I proved that I wasn't brain damaged earlier. Almost forgot that. I nodded to him and did as he said. Dropping down behind him, he turned around. Here comes one of my favorite bits of dialogue.

"Okay, listen, let me lay something on you here. It's pretty heavy. They told me _Never Never_ _Ever_ disengage myself from my management rail. Or I would _die_. But, we're out of options here. So... get ready to catch me, alright, on the off chance that I'm not dead the moment I pop off this thing." He said. I considered letting him fall, like he would in the game, but decided against it almost immediately. I would catch him. I held up on finger to pause him and I quickly pulled out my pad of paper and pen (the emancipation grill didn't destroy it- for some reason... *cough* plot convenience *cough*). I wrote a quick note.

"I have an idea. But first: how heavy would you say you are? Lighter that a Weighted Storage Cube? Do you think the portal gun's gravity field will be strong enough?" -Chell

I held it up as high as I could so that he could read it. I assume that he has a zoom feature, but I just wanted to be sure. I saw him nod a few times as he read my not.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think I am pretty light-weight. The materials that we are made up of is fairly durable, but light, um... I think." He said. I nodded. I wrote another note.

"OK. So I have an idea to catch you, but I have to line it up just right, and hopefully, you won't knock me out." -Chell

I held the portal gun in one hand and held it up activating the gravity field. I kept my other hand in a catching motion. I gave a nod to him as a signal to drop when ready. He chickened out on the first go just like in the game. I stood my ground and held the gun at the ready.

"Okay... One- catch me, catch me, catch- oh, you caught me!" He exclaimed. My plan worked. I knew that Wheatley was falling much slower than things that I know the portal gun can catch in later levels, but I kept my other hand free to catch him by one of his handles. I could only guess that Chell in the game didn't put any effort into catching poor Wheatley, either that or for the plot and dialogue. Whatever it was, I don't care. I smiled at Wheatley as I shifted the portal gun so that he was in the center of the gravity field. It seemed to sink in just then that he was in fact, not dead.

"I. Am. Not. Dead! I'm not dead!" He laughed as it finally sunk in that he was alright. I decided to try speaking to him again.

"I told you I would catch you." I whispered to him while holding him up so that he was at my eye level. I still sounded really quiet and a bit scratchy, but he went quiet as he listened to me speak.

"I don't like to lie and I dislike it when people lie to me... So tell me, really, how many times have you tried to escape?" I asked in a somber tone. He seemed to still at my question. He looked sort of sheepish as he glanced to the side. I knew how many because of the dialogue in the Game, but I wanted to see some honesty from him. This partnership would only end in failure if there's no trust between us. I stared directly into his optic. He glanced away.

"Ah, well. Um. *sigh* Okay. You did catch me, and you did make it farther than the last- ugh. Sixth. You are my sixth attempt." He says as he finally looks me in the eyes. He answered me honestly. I smile slightly as though to reward him for his honesty.

"I understand. You don't have to tell me about them. I can guess." I said. He looked relieved.

"Besides, I think I should tell you this, it is important. I am the one who put Her to "sleep". I understand if you don't want to associate yourself with me anymore. But I want you to know that I only did so out of self-defense. I would never willingly try to harm someone unless that someone tried to kill me or keep me from escaping place." I said. It was the most I had said out loud to anyone as Chell. My throat was feeling a bit dry although that could just be from nervousness. I glanced towards Wheatley having finished my confession/proclamation. The light in his optic contracted and then returned back to normal which I interpenetrated as a sort of tensing and relaxing motion.

"Well, I suppose that I can't fault you for defending yourself. I mean, if it were me in your position, I'm pretty sure that I would have reacted in a similar manner. But did you have to _kill_ Her? I mean, couldn't you have just, I don't know...no... or... ah, maybe, hm, no... never mind. You seem like a clever young miss, I'm sure you tried other things first. I guess, what I'm trying to say is: so long as you don't try to kill me, you do what you have to." He said. I felt kind of touched and relieved by his little ramble/reply. I was glad that he wouldn't hold it against me and we now had a sort of mutual understanding going between us. We were both trying to escape and we needed to work together to achieve it. I gave my first genuinely happy smile to him. He reciprocated with his own version of a smile.

* * *

"Right then. Plug me into that stick on the wall over there. Yeah! And I'll show you something. You'll be impressed by this." He said tilting his body and turning his optic to point towards a section of the wall. A panel opened up to reveal a core receptacle. I expected him to tell me to turn around, and for a second he looked like he was going to say something. But he didn't. I think it was a show of trust, allowing me to watch him hack. It wasn't really all that impressive to watch, but it was still neat to watch. I held the portal gun ready to catch him as the wall spat him out. I was going to try my best to not drop him on the floor whenever possible. He gave me a grateful look.

"And off we go!" He said in a cheerful voice. I nod and walked through the opening that he had created. Walking along the catwalks, we chatted. Well, he did most of the talking. I sort of listened and occasionally would get a word or two in. It was relaxing and helped calm my nerves. I idly wondered if that was why he talked so much: to fill the deafening silence. We were nearing Her chamber and I have to admit, I am feeling a bit nervous.

"In order to escape, we're going to have to go through Her chamber. And she will probably kill us if, um She's awake. So, um. If you wanna just call it quits, we could just sit here. Forever. There's option A. Option B: Go through there, and if She's alive, She'll almost certainly kill us. So, if you've got any reservations about this plan, now would be the time to voice them." Wheatley chattered nervously. I gave a weak smile and shrugged my shoulders.

"We don't have much choice." I said softly. I knew that She was off, but it was still nerve wracking to think that in less than a few minutes, She might not be. I was really hoping that we could avoid some of the events that were in the game, and we were coming to a major plot point. I decided to step into the little alcove near the entrance.

"I'm going to set you down for a sec, okay?" I asked his permission. He gave me a questioning look but nodded. I gently lowered him to the floor and found a patch on the floor that was not littered with shards of glass and sat down so that I was facing him.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked. This was going to be a long conversation so I pulled out my notebook and started to write.

"There has to be another way out of this place. Her chamber can't bee the only way. There used to be humans who ran this place. Surely there are other Emergency exits." -Chell

"I don't know if any of them are nearby or if they are even operational. Because when She took over the facility, I'm pretty sure she moved some things around. Emergency exits, for example." Wheatley said. I sighed.

"Could you access a map?" -Chell

"Nope, sorry. I don't have access to that sort of information. I've only memorized certain areas where I've worked in previous jobs." He answered. I shrugged and stood up. I picked up the portal gun and activated it's gravity field to pick Wheatley up.

"It's okay. And sorry, that was the only other thing I could think of." I said to him. I gave a nod towards the chamber doors and headed in. Wheatley muttered not-so-quietly about how he really didn't want to go into Her chamber. I simply walked through at a brisk pace only pausing to get a good look at Her broken form.

"Sorry." I muttered staring into her black unlit optic. Wheatley looked at me with an expression of disbelief and curiosity, but didn't say anything about my apology to Her. I shook my head and kept moving. We came across the jump down and I gave him a quick reassuring glance before jumping. I kept a firm grip on the portal device and everything was fine. Wheatley still screamed though. Still, all fine. We made our way to the main breaker room. It looked exactly as it did in the game. Levers everywhere.

"Ok. We're looking for a switch that says 'Escape Pod' on it. Can you see it anywhere? I can't see it." Wheatley whirled his optic around.

"Hm. Tell you what, plug me in and I'll get the lights on." He suggested. This was it.

"... Can you disengage from the plug? Y'know, on the off chance that something bad happens?" I kept my voice calm as I asked this.

"It's not generally a good idea. Why do you ask?" He asked me. I chewed on my lip softly as I tried to come up with an answer that would not arouse suspicion. Yet another thing that was different compared to the games. Hopefully, I could keep him from panicking and have him abort any attempts to hack Her and we could get a head start in running.

"Just in case. I've-I've just got a bad feeling about this." I said. I plugged him in and the lights turned on.

"'Let there be light,' that's, uh... God. I was quoting God.- Oh, look at that, turning. Ominous. But, probably fine so long as it doesn't start moving up." Wheatley said as he continued to glance around. Goddammit, Wheatley! You've jinxed us!

 ***Beep-Beep-Beep*** a siren went off. Oh. Great.

"This is moving up. Hold on, I'll try to slow it down- ***beep-beep-beep*** -no. Makes it go faster." He said as he tried to get the thing to stop moving.

"Just stop!" I whisper-yelled. His optic blinked and widened frantically.

"Uh oh." He said echoing my thoughts exactly.

 **Announcer: Power up initiated.**

"Alright, don't panic. Stop panicking. I can fix this... Just have to hack it. Let's see here..." Wheatley started to attempt hacking while I stood still thoughts racing. Part of me wanted to crawl out of the area and try and flee, but another knew that I would be abandoning Wheatley to a gruesome fate. And any trust that we had built up would be shattered. She continued to pull Herself together. I gulped and forced my expression to be calm. Show no emotion. No fear. No guilt. Nothing. She shook Herself as though stretching.

I said nothing as I discreetly fished out my notebook and flipped it open to the first page carefully angling it so that Wheatley could read it.

"Remember. I'm a 'mute lunatic' to her. I don't talk" -Chell

He gave the slightest nod and didn't say anything more as I slipped the pad back into my pocket. Thankfully, GLaDOS was still facing downwards.

 **Announcer: Power up completed.**

"Hello!" Wheatley called out to her nervously. Her 'head' snapped up to greet us.

"Oh. It's _you_." She said staring at me. I focused on my breathing. Glancing down at Wheatley who was practically shaking, I felt so sorry for what I knew was about to happen.

"It's been a long time. How have you been? I've been really busy being dead. You know, after you _murdered me_." Her voice practically dripping with acid. I stifled a wince at her angry tone. I new what I -Chell- had done to her. A pair of mechanical claws came down on top of us. She lifted me up and ripped Wheatley from the core receptacle with ease. Wheatley was shaking and tried pleading with her. I shifted in the claw's grip as I saw Wheatley get crushed and thrown aside. She then turned her full attention to me and I stilled almost instantly. I still held my defiant expression as she spoke to me. I wasn't really listening though. I already knew what she was saying. The claw dropped me as I hung above the incinerator. I kept my eyes wide open despite how much I just wanted to keep them shut. It wouldn't due for me to get killed by landing the wrong way. I kept my mouth shut for the most part only give a few soft yelps as the path took a sharp turn. After falling for what seemed like ages, I landed. Those long fall boots are amazing.

"Here we are. The incinerator room. Be careful not to trip over any parts of me that didn't get completely burned when you threw them down here." Her voice echoed throughout the large room. I carefully made my way across the fallen scraps of metal. I was mindful not to touch anything. Scorching hot metal. I was surprised I wasn't being incinerated. I eventually found what She wanted me to find. The Dual Portal Device.

"Hold on. Let me get that for you." She said as she moved the panels covering the device so that I could reach it. I carefully touched the device. After determining that it would not burn me, I picked it up.

"Good. You have a dual portal device. There should be a way back to the testing area up ahead." She said before going silent. I'm guessing that she decide that focusing on repairing the facility was more important. Thank goodness. I was finally alone with my thoughts which drifted off towards Wheatley. I knew from the game that he was probably being repaired (nanobots?) and waiting for that bird to "help" him. He was going to be alright. Time to focus on tests... It's going to be a long day.

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Next Chapter: Chapter 3 Testing to Escape**


	3. Chapter 3

**Read Me!**

I am on hiatus. This is a chapter that I've had in my docs for over a year. I'm not proud of that fact. I've been really busy with College. I'm in my Senior year and stuff's been crazy. Several projects, volunteer projects, work, moving houses. I'm not trying to make excuses. I know inconsistency and my muse escapes me often.

 **Chapter 3: We Meet Again**

Chamber 9

I had an amused expression on my face as I jumped onto the defective Aerial Faith Plate. Wheatley was trying to tell his story on how he managed to survive. He kept on talking even as I fell out of sight and hearing range. Meanwhile, GLaDOS was making jabs at my weight which were really quite silly. I simply stomped on the plate again and it launched me upwards. Wheatley was still chattering away. I decided to fire my first portal over where I would eventually land and waited for GLaDOS to lower the ceiling again, consequently, cutting Wheatley's viewing access. I continued on with the test, using tricks that I had picked up from prior run-thru's in the game and completed it rather quickly.

"Look at you. Sailing thru the air like an eagle. Piloting a blimp." GLaDOS commented as the exit door opened. I quickly walked thru and paused just inside and I laughed for a few moments. I always liked that quote.

Chamber 11

"These bridges are made from natural light that we pump in from the surface. If you were to rub your cheek on one, it would be like standing outside with the sun on your face. It would also set your hair on fire, so don't actually do it." GLaDOS explained.

I stepped onto the blue light bridge. It was stable feeling, but it also seemed to hum as I stepped onto it. I knew there was another one of Ratmann's dens in this chamber and I could see the entrance to it as a panel fell off the ceiling and into the moat. I decided to focus on solving the test quickly and ignored it. GLaDOS's insult/dialogue as I completed it flew right over my head as I watched the elevator carry the Wife Turret up.

Chamber 12

I stealthily crept around the corner and fired my first portal thru the open doors creeping closer to see if I could fire the second before the doors "malfunctioned," but they snapped shut before I could get a good angle. I pouted a bit. GLaDOS went to try and see what the problem was and Wheatley slid into view. He still didn't have a plan to break us out yet- as expected and the crow chased him around on his rail for a bit. I did my best to avoid smiling and thankfully the frosted glass distorted our view of each other. He quickly wheeled away as he sensed Her presence returning. I did an about face and stood in front of the door looking to Her as if I had been standing there waiting for the doors to open. She apologized and made her not-so-subtle comments of the "door mainframe"'s demise. The test was simple enough and while I did take longer on these hard light bridges, I passed the test with no slip-ups, fatal or otherwise. She even commented on my performance. Yay.

"Well done. In fact, you did so well, I'm going to note this in your file in the commendations section. 'Did well enough'." She said. I boldly decided to give a thumbs up towards the camera as I walked out of the chamber. She didn't comment on it.

Chamber 13

I saw the short videos on the screens that surrounded the elevator as it stopped at the next test. Turrets. I paled slightly at the realization that the difficulty was now starting to really crank up. I could count on one hand how many times I had managed to get through this chamber in the game _without_ getting hit by a bullet. But here, I could _not_ afford to get hit with a bullet. While in the games, Chell is seemingly unaffected by the bullets unless she gets peppered by a bunch of them, but a few at a time, fine, no problem. I took a few deep calming breaths and slowly walked into the chamber.

"Relax. You've done this test multiple times. The layout is simple. Technically, you don't even need to actually peek around the corner. There are panels behind them that are portal-able surfaces. Easy." I thought to myself. I carefully wrapped my arm around the wall and fired blindly in the general direction of the first turret. I fired a second one on the wall in front of me to see if my method worked. The portal was successful. I stepped thru and quickly picked up the turret with the Portal gun's gravity field and turned around. I chucked it thru the portal and pressed myself flat against the wall. The bullets dinged and flew past me; some of them came close to me and others ricocheted off of the walls and ceiling. When the bullets stopped, I picked up the turret and brought it with me. It would be a pretty terrible shield, but a shield that would work in a pinch.

The second turret required me to fire a portal directly underneath it. I could try and do what I did last time and just still the gun around and hope to land a hit. I double checked which portal was closest to the start of the test chamber and leave that one. The less bullets near me, the better. This one was a bit more difficult and it took me several tries before I heard the turret's surprised yelp as it exhausted it's bullet supply. I continued to take the first turret with me ("why" you might ask; well, I can use it as extra ammo to knock out the remaining turrets. I dropped the turret thru a portal on to the third turret and waited patiently for it to stop shooting. Re-positioning my portals, I dropped the rest of the cubes on top of the fourth turret.

The last four turrets were easier as I had better cover and plenty of ammo. I considered collecting them all and throwing them at the Emancipation Grid, but decided that that would be unnecessarily violent and spiteful. I still chucked one of them into the Grid though. No comments from GLaDOS on my cruel dispatch of the turret. Well, I suppose it is only one turret out of the millions that She's got in production. Ah, well. On with the testing.

 **Fin**

 **Next Chapter: The Escape**

 **A/N:**

So, Shameless plug to a story that I have had a hand in recently. I'm beta reading/editing/co-writing a story called "The Gamer in the Uchiha" by **raven312**. English is not their first language, but I enjoy the story. The story is undergoing heavy edits and grammar work curtesy of me. The first few chapters have been updated and I am working on updating the rest of the chapters. It's slow going due to my busy schedule, but I will get it done.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note (1/23/19)**

Here's the last of my backed up chapters. From here on. I wasn't sure what to do with the next part of the story. While the next chapter may not be for a while, but I am open to suggestions.

 **Chapter 4: The Escape**

The plan unfolded the same way it did in the game as Wheatley spoke in that ridiculous fake accent and opened the panels and activated a hard-light bridge- that I still had no idea how he managed to get a hold of. The loud clanking of my boots on the catwalk echoed throughout the area blending in with the rest of the facility sounds. Wheatley cheering me on and telling me to hurry. I was just glad that Chell's body was fit and this run was not too difficult for her.

GLaDOS tried the trap room which I immediately ignored and ran in the opposite direction. I hopped off the bridge before it dissipated down onto the catwalk below. I had memorized the layout of this area of the facility pretty well, and quickly disposed of the turrets by tossing them or knocking them down and ducking behind cover. Wheatley was making a big commotion and I smiled a little at the little bot's fretting. I knew that he was really only worried about his own chance at escape, but still, I like to think that I've treated him better than most other humans in the facility and that he might care for me a little. Maybe. I quickly portal out of the room back out onto the catwalk and we continue on our way. I ready the portal gun for GLaDOS's next move.

"Turret!" Wheatley calls out. I use the same tactic as I did with the turrets of Chamber 13 firing where I think that the turret is standing and after two shots, I heard the turret yelp and fire. I sprint passed it running up the steps. I feel the lurch of the catwalk as GLaDOS starts moving the Chamber towards us. I don't bother looking back and just keep running *forward* *left*. I don't stop running until I am in the lift. Breathing heavily, I lean against the bars and watch as the chambers smash into each other.

"I'll meet you on the other side!" Wheatley calls out over the loud screeching of metal. As soon as I stepped out of the lift, I leaned against the wall. After about five minutes, I get up and make my way over to where he is. Just as we start moving, the lights cut off. I wait patiently keeping my eyes closed as Wheatley turns on his flashlight. A bit of rambling about how he was told that he would die if he used the light later and we were off. It was even darker than in the game. I moved very carefully and waited for Wheatley to stop moving so much (because his movement caused the light to jump all over the place) before stepping. The "ghost story" was as ridiculous as ever and waited for him to light the big drop. deciding to be safe, I went and took a running head-start before jumping. The catwalk shook and I instinctively shot my free hand out to grab the railing. I quickly climbed up the steps and we continued on our way. Dodging the large cut-out pieces of turret, I hopped down onto another catwalk.

The dark sections where Wheatley lit up the walls were nerve-wracking, to say the least. Picking my way across the turret redemption lines was much more difficult in real life because I had to be careful not to trip over the broken turret pieces. I managed to grab Oracle turret and I listened to it's "prophesies" curious to see if it would say anything different. To my disappointment, it didn't. I left the turret on the catwalk and continued on my way. The turret testing range was absolutely terrifying. I dropped thru the portal and zipped behind the target board. I listened and waited for a defective turret and hurriedly fired a portal across the way before dipping back behind the target. I repeated the process this time firing at the target board and sprinting thru. I quickly fired another portal randomly away from me so that I wouldn't risk getting shot. Stopping for a moment to catch my breath, I thought about how friggin' lucky I was to have made it this far.

I snagged a defective turret on my way over to where the control center was. Wheatley greeted me, relieved that I was still in one piece, judging from his tone. He glanced at my turret friend and tilted his optic before leading me into the control center. He sounded proud of the fact that that he had led us here. When he asked me to turn around, I faced the wall and heard the glass shatter. My shoulders shook with laughter that I had to quickly suppress before turning around. I set my defective turret down and fired two portals. I grabbed the template turret and quickly flung it through the portal where it explode a few seconds later. Curious, I stood in the scanner. Nothing happened. Ah, well. That's real life. I stepped back thru the portal and grabbed the defective turret and set it down on the scanner pad.

"New template accepted," said the Announcer. Wheatley looked shocked that that had worked. I had a pleased smirk on my face and I winked at him. This seemed to snap him out of whatever thoughts he was having as he shook himself and went to go get the door unlocked. I only had to wait for a few seconds before the door unlocked. I walked thru and made a soft "ahem" that apparently his sensors picked up and he turned around to see me.

"Oh, um. Well, that was easier than I thought. A-anyways, c'mon, this way," he said recovering himself and leading the way. He turned on his flashlight again so I could see. We both looked at the projects from the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. When we got to the potato one, I pointed at the signature.

"Huh? What's that? Oh! This one's yours, isn't it! Very nice, very, er, green, and big, can't forget that," Wheatley started rambling. I smiled and nodded my head towards the exit. We moved on, making our way towards the Neurotoxin Generator. It was huge. I could see the small panels that were being transported. We passed by the turrets being tossed into the grinder. I winced sympathetically as I watched them explode and get ground up. "Simulated" pain. I turned my attention to the laser and fired my orange portal at it watching as it stuck. Now I would only have to fire blue ones at the moving panels later. Wheatley didn't seem to notice my actions, for which I was grateful. I wouldn't know how to answer his questions. I hit the red button much to my amusement and Wheatley's panicked cries. The door opened and headed up the steps. I looked back at him and saw that he had gotten straight to work with the old computers (trying to convince dead computers to let him into the controls). I took aim as the panels on the left moved upwards. Firing, the portals linked and the laser began cutting thru the large tubes. Once the ones on the left were cut, I aimed for the ones on the right and fired at the farthest panel setting the laser to cut thru the tubes. I held onto the railing with one hand and watched as the giant structure collapsed in on itself. Wheatley was calling for me, so I hurried back towards the office building. We hopped into the vent.

The vent ride was absolutely terrifying.

"At least somebody is having a good time," I thought as I watched thru squinted eyes as Wheatley whirled around yammering on about how much fun he was having.

A cube from somewhere else came hurtling through and Wheatley and I went our separate ways. I wondered if GLaDOS could see everything that was going on in the transport vents (like Nigel from Aperture Tag). That would explain how She managed to separate us. That or it was just bad luck.

 **Fin**

 **Next Chapter: Split Decisions**

 **A/N:** I had a Chapter 5 somewhere, but I didn't like how it was looking and I am trying very hard to not make my SI-Chell too Mary Sue-ish. I wanted to make her a Core even if temporarily (or permanently) like a "Bad End" sort of thing with a second path that goes on with Chell and Wheatley ending up in Old Aperture and a third branch with the original Portal timeline but with my interactions with PotaDOS and going up against Wheatley... I'm getting ahead of myself. I lost my old Chapter 5 a second time when it disappeared one day... -.-


End file.
